Machine for peeling or cleaning vegetables and the like



June 9, 1936- F. H. WRIGHT ET AL 2,043,873

MACHINE FOR FEELING OR CLEANING VEGETABLES AND THE LIKE Filed April 26, 1952 HHH' A #ome ys Patented June 9, 1936 UNITED STATES MACHINE FOR PEELING OR CLEANING VEGETABLES AND THE LIKE Frederick Hursh Wright and Edmund Woodward Lewis, London, England, assignors to The Century Machine Company, Cincinnati, Ohio Application April 26, 1932, Serial No. 607,588 In Great Britain May 22, 1931 V I 5 Claims. (01. 146-49) This invention relates to machines for peeling or cleaning vegetables or the like, and particularly relates to machines of the type having a container into which the vegetables or the like are inserted, and a rotary plate'or disc mounted in the container, such plate or disc being lined with abrasive material, such as carborundum, which efiects the peeling or cleaning.

In machines of this kind the'rotating parts in the container are liable to become choked with peelings and foreign matter, and in order to facilitate effective cleaning of the container it is essential to provide for the removal of the rotary plate or disc, and for this purpose the rotary plate or disc usually engages the driving shaft by means of a square or key and is fixed in position by means of a nut, which latter to a non-mechanical user is a frequent source of trouble, and in consequence is sometimes not screwed on firmly or is omitted altogether when the plate or disc is replaced. Furthermore, machines of this kind are frequently overloaded by the insertion of more vegetables or the like at a time than the container is constructed to hold, and also by the vegetables or the like becoming jammed between the rotating parts and the container. When such overloading occurs the machine is stopped or the motor is very much overloaded with consequent damage thereto.

The present invention has among its objects to provide an improved means for fixing the rotary plate or disc upon the driving shaft and for preventing overloading and consequent damage to the electric driving motor.

According to the present invention the rotary plate or disc referred to is adapted to engage helically arranged splines on the shaft, which splines are arranged at such an angle in relation to the direction of rotation that when the machine is in operation the plate or disc tends to bind or lock itself upon the shaft, while when the machine is stopped the plate or disc may be readily removed by turning it in the direction of rotation.

According to a further feature of the invention a clutch device is incorporated in the drive between the motorand the rotary plate or disc, such clutch device being of that type which when the torque exceeds a pre-determined amount will allow slipping or relative rotation of the parts, and preferably being of the kind in which spring pressed balls mounted in one clutch member engage in recesses in the other clutch member, the

- engagement and disengagement of the balls when slipping occurs affording an audible indication of the Overloading of the machine. The clutch or automatic release device preferably is arranged in the end portions of the motor casing or otherwise so that one clutch member may be mounted directly upon the motor shaft.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a part sectional elevation through a machine for peeling or cleaning vegetables or the like embodying the features of the present invention; and

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation showing a modified form of driving means.

In carrying the invention into effect according to the construction shown, the improved machine comprises a cylindrical container I0 which is closed at the bottom II and is mounted upon a hollow pedestal preferably made in upper and lower parts I2 and I3 respectively, the upper part I2 being adapted to form the gear box of the machine. At the top the container i0 is provided with a removable cover plate I4 having a feeding hopper l5 which may be provided with a suitable closure cap (not shown), a pipe fitting l6 being arranged for introducing a stream of water into the container lil. A vertical shaft I1 is mounted to project upwardly into the container l0, such shaft at its lower end being carried in a suitable bearing I8 in a transverse member I9 of the pedestal l2, l3, the upper end of the shaft I! being arranged to extend through a boss 20 pro-' vided upon a transverse plate 2| forming the top of the pedestal upon which the container I0 is fixed;

The upper end of the shaft ll passes through a boss 22 formed in the bottom I I and its extremity isshaped with helical splines 23 which engage with corresponding threadsor grooves formed. in a boss 24 carrying the rotary disc 25 which may conveniently be of saucer-like formation, the top of the bore in the boss 24 being closed by a' screwed plug 26. The splines 23 are so arranged that when the driving shaft IT is rotated in the normal direction, the rotary plate or disc 25 tends to move downwards upon the shaft IT and thus seats itselfupon a shoulder or collar 21 on the sleeve 29 bearing one or more planes 30 which serve to expel dirt, peelings and other foreign.

matter through a discharge outlet 31 formed 'in the container 1., In order to prevent other such foreign matter and water from entering the working parts of the machine, the boss 22 is provided with a screwed-cap 32 enclosing a packf an effective joint and is of such character as not to introduce any substantial friction. Any

water leaking past the'packing washer 33. will be prevented from reaching the gear box by a ring 33a rotating with the shaft, as 'such water will.

be thrown outwardly by centrifugal "force. a Referring to Figure 1, an electric motor 3'! is bolted to or incorporated in the part |2 of the pedestal and is arranged to drive aworm-wheel 38 through the medium of aworm 39 in direct communication with the motor .31. The. wormwheel 38, is rotatably mounted upon the shaft H but is provided uponits upper surface with projections 40 having sloping sides, which projections 4ninterengage with similar lateral recesses in a driven disc 4|, the latter being slidably mounted upon the shaft I] but in driving connection therewith by means of one or more splines or keyways 42. with the worm-Wheel 38 by means'of a coiled compression spring-43 which acts between a flange 44 on the shaft I1 and an adjusting nut 45 upon a screw threaded collar '46, formed as one with the disc 4|. By this means the normal driving torque may bereadilytransmitted from the wormwheel 38 to the'disc 4| so driving the disc or plate 25gbut should the latter become jammed or should man" overload otherwise occur, projections pass out of the corresponding recesses in the disc 4|, thuspreventing damage to the motor 31 andpro- V V viding an audible warning.

' 39 as before.

1 .A modified'form of driving clutchis shown in Figure-2 in which the clutch casing 48 is incorpo- :rate,d;in the .endrof the motor 31, the driving shaft .:49yof which is provided with .a driving disc'50 aformed with holes accommodating spring-pressed .lba'lls '5;| and provided with a flange ring 52 by which a drivendisc or member 53'is retained nor- .mally in 'contact'with the disc .50. The balls 5| :normallyengage recesses formed in the disc 53 but upon an overload occurring, the excessive torque overcomes .the spring pressure of the balls and the driving connection between the discs and Q53. is broken, again providing an audible m warning. The driven shaft 54 passes into the pedestal I2, and is provided with a driving worm Lubrication conveniently is effected by forcing oil up through a central passage '55 in' the verticalshaft and-through a radial passage 56 to the upper bearing from which the oil "drips-on to the worm-Wheel 38 and is thrown thereby on to the bearings (not shown) of the' are shaft 54, any excess oil draining into the base of "the pedeStaI portion through a passage 51 whence it passes to a suitable pump propelleror plunger operated from the lower end of the shaft This pump (not shown) is preferably of the type having aneccentric rotor and diametrically arranged spring, the rotor being mountedat the a lower end of the vertical shaft and beingadapted to be directed therefrom. a a jIn'the operation ofthemachine, vegetables and the like are inserted through thehopper |5 and the plate or disc 25 is revolved, thus causing, the

vegetables to rub against the abrasive surface of a liner 58 of'the container l0, while the peelings, dirt and other foreign matter are washed out through the aperture 3 I by water injected through projecting upwardly through the bottom of the The disc 4| is normally held in engagement extending therethrough, one end portion. of :the

therethrough and a stufiing box ifor-saidtopen- 2,043,873 V V V V the fitting l6. After treatment, the vegetables or equivalent are removed through an aperture 59 which is normally'closed by means of a door 50 having a lining 6|, said door 6|! being operated by means of a handle 62 working in conjunction with a'link 63. Y

What we claim is:-

' 1. In a machine of the character described, a a

container having a fixed bottom, a driven shaft 7 l0 container, and a. platecarried by the upper end 'of and rotatable with the shaftwithin the. con- 7 tainer and constituting a rotatable bottom mem-. 'ber therefor, 'th'e'upper end of the shaft having a screw threaded portion :within the container with its threads extending in a direction reverse to that of the rotation of the shaft, the plate hav ing .acentralopening with the wall of the open ing screw threaded and screwed upon the threadedportion of the shaft and constituting the sole connectionbetween the plate :and the shaft; :and

driving means for the shaft including anoverload-clutch. 7

.2. In a machine of vthe character described,- a container for {the :material under treatment, said .25

container having-aa fixed bottom, a driving shaft projecting upwardly throughlthe fixed bottom' I and into the container and providedwith ascrew threaded top portion within-the container with i its threads extending in a direction'reverseflaoso that of the rotation of the shaft, and aeplateicarried by and rotatable with the shaft within the container and constituting a rotatable :bottom member therefor, said plate having an opening opening, having its walls .provided'withvcoarse screw threads screwed upon the threadedportion' of the shaft and constituting thesole connection ibetweenthe plate and theshaft, the opposite end j portion of said opening being provided with finer screw threads, vand a .closure plug engaging :the

'finer threads of the opening in the plate.

:3. Ina machinenf the character described, :a container having a fixed bottomprovided with a central elevated portion having a shaft opening 45' ing, the .container having a discharge opening Lb'elow the elevated bottomportion, ashaft extending through the bottom opening and thestufling box-and projecting-intothe container, a rotatable :50 bottom member carried by the inner endmthe a shaft and rotatableitherewith, BLDIOtCOtlIIEiSIEEVC depending from the rotatable bottom member 7 and surrounding the stufling box in close relation thereto, and expeller, vanes carriedybythe protecting sleeve and extending radially outwardv therefrom and working in the space between the fixed and rotatable bottom members.

4. In a machine ofthe character .described', ia j a hollow pedestal having a gear box closed at its 60 upper end and provided witha -centra'l shaft opening having anfupsta'nding boss surrounding the opening, a container-supported upon top of the gear box andprovided with-a central elevated 1 bottom portion. having a shaft'openin'g and-ga es i stuffing box :therefor in alignment with the shaft 1 opening in, the top of the gear .box, ta shaft-extending through the opening in the top of the,

gear box and through the smiling box and into the Icohtai-ner, a rotatable bottom member carr'ied by'70 and rotatable with the top portionof the shaft, a protecting sleeve depending from therotatable bottom member, and-1a ring member carried by 'the. shaft portion between the top; of the :gear

box'and the elevated-portion of the bottomef the at container and embracing the boss on the top of the gear box.

5. In a machine of the character described, a hollow pedestal having a gear box, a shaft rotatably mounted in the bottom and the top of the gear box and extending upwardly therefrom, an overload clutch for the shaft located in the gear box, means for rotating the clutch, a container supported upon the top of the gear box and provided with a central elevated portion having a shaft opening through which the shaft projects,

a rotatable bottom member carried by the top of the shaft, a stufling box provided upon the top of the elevated bottom portion, a protecting sleeve depending from the rotatable bottom member and surrounding the stufling box in close relation 5 thereto, the top of the gear box having a boss surrounding the shaft, and a water shedding ring carried by the shaft and embracing the boss. 

